Toys and Play, Weapons and Warfare: Militarizing the Xbox Controller

Description

In this paper I examine the cultural implications of the United States military’s use
of commercial video game controllers as contemporary battle equipment. My research
draws on analysis of the academic literature on militarism and video games, controller
studies, and media theory, as well as industry sources and mainstream media reporting. The
paper is organized into three sections: a history of the relationship between the military and
the video game industry, a discussion of the military’s use of Xbox controllers, and an
exploration of the causes and consequences of the increasingly blurry line between toys and
weapons.